Current thinking and research show that modern mankind (us) first appeared around 200,000 years ago. I have no issue with that as have most, if not all, researchers in that field. We also know that agriculture first developed around 10,000 years ago. This means that for around 190,000 years (or 95% of our history), we did not do much more than hunt and gather. Now, given that only a mere 200 years ago, or to put it another way 1/1000th of our history, we lived by candlelight and travelled by horse and, 200 years later, have electrified the world and travel by plane - and even to the moon. It just doesn't add up. Why all that technological progress in only 200 years? What were our fully functional bodies and brains up to for 195,000 years? This is a puzzle that only recently has begun to be addressed and there is growing evidence that there is a huge part of human history unaccounted for.

Now, we know the ice-age ended around 10000-15000 years ago and there are several ideas as to why this happened. I favour the impact model which claims that some cosmic bodies struck the North American ice-cap around this time (evidence for this can be found as far away as Syria). This would have resulted in catastrophic floods all around the world, particularly in coastal areas. In fact, many of our ancient religions and 'myths' (what's the difference?) talk about this - Atlantis and Noah could be memories of distant real events. 

Archaeology is also wakening up; rain water-erosion on and beside the Sphinx hark back to pre-desert times - suggesting their age is much older. And drill holes in granite and other hard stones show that people with bronze tools could not have made such marks (as we are often led to believe). There is much, much more.

But to cut a long story short; the maths just don't add up. And there is nothing controversial here - we don't need to invoke aliens to find answers. We just need to accept that 190,000 is an awfully long time to spend hunting, gathering, sitting around the campfire and drawing the occasional cave-art.